Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

We were back inside my home where Tatiana and the rest were grinning mischievously. The three old-timers were confused from their expressions but Kaley was looking at Tatiana as if telling her to be discreet.

I was about to ask them what was inside those cases but Oscar pushed me to the kitchen.

"C'mon kid! Cook us that whatchamacallit where it's really runny with that tomato thingy!" Oscar exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Matthew and Johnny were confused.

"It's this thing he cooked before with runny eggs and the tomato sauce was a little bit spicy. It's fucking good I tell ya. What do you call it kid?" Oscar looked at me.

"Shakshouka." I replied.

"Yes, that shak- shakshaka!" Oscar botched it.

"Eggs." I opened my hands in front of him.

"What?" Oscar was confused.

"Eggs! The kids brought their own to be cooked, so either hand me one or pick a few from the barn!" I was grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't you have a few in your refrigerator? Just use them! I'm not that picky when it comes to it!" Oscar replied with an annoyed expression.

"I'm not talking about chicken eggs, look for Derek if he managed to acquire some duck eggs. I used those instead of chicken eggs for the Shakshouka that you liked back then." I replied.

"Oh~ That's why they're richer eh? Hmm~ I don't want to walk to his place, just use whatever eggs you have on hand for mine." Oscar waved his hands as he sat down on the sofa with Johnny. Matthew on the other hand was given a bite by one of the kids and his eyes shot up in astonishment.

"Kid, wait a sec. I'm gonna go for a quick run." Matthew said with a serious look.

"He liked it, heh." I chuckled inwardly.

"Dammit, okay, I'll come with!" Johnny added when his grandkid gave him a bite as well.

"Hey~! Wait for me, fucking little shi- I just came from a short jog..." Oscar tried to catch up with the other two who were looking for Derek.

"Woof!" Zeus chased after them but then I felt someone pulling on my shirt.

I looked down and it was Peter.

[Thank you for cooking for me… it's really good...]

[No problem. I'm glad you liked it.]

[Can you cook for me as well on my birthday? I… I want to eat it again...]

[The omelet with cheese? Sure, I'll also bake you a cake! Your birthday, it's in January, right?]

[What?! How did you know?!]

[I know everyone's birthday, it's my superpower!]

[Oh~ Do you know how to make a chocolate cake?]

[Yes, I can bake anything. That's another one of my superpowers!]

[Wow! It's a promise then?]

[Yep, I promise.]

[Yay! Pinky Promise!]

The other kids weren't able to understand what we were saying but Aya's head was tilted as she was trying hard. In the end, I translated for them and they asked for the same thing on their own birthdays. Peter and the rest of the kids thanked us before excusing themselves. They all made a short bow before the five of us were left inside the first floor.

"So… we're fucking upstairs or what?" Tatiana broke the silence immediately.

"Tatiana!" Kaley exclaimed.

"What? You two were alone yesterday, I don't have a present to give him and making him cum is the best thing I could think of. You agree with me, correct?" Tatiana looked at me.

"Well..." I was at a loss.

"We can't!" Rin chimed in.

"Why?" Tatiana scoffed.

"They might come back soon… Kaley's dad, Sir Oscar, and Sir Johnny..." Cynthia interjected.

"You two finally agreed with me… we can do that later..." Kaley was shaking her head.

"Hah! You said 'later', correct? That's good enough for me." Tatiana chuckled.

"Oh boy..." I thought to myself.

It didn't take too long for Oscar and the rest to come back with a small basket of duck eggs. They brought a lot so I included the girls again in case they wanted to taste it.

Shakshouka was pretty easy to make. I brought out a large skillet, and I placed a dash of oil to be heated in medium-high heat. I added in peppers and onions that I prepared beforehand and I cooked them until they were soft and was a little bit on the brown side.

After that, I added tomatoes, vegetable broth, a few spices like cumin and paprika, then salt and pepper. I also have dried oregano so I added them in the mix. I cooked it for a while until the sauce thickened. The smell from the several ingredients cooking made the three old-timers restless and they were beside me watching me cook their food.

Finally, I cracked the duck eggs on top of the sauce and cooked them for a bit before the yolk becomes firm. I added a dash of parsley and feta cheese and I served it in front of them.

"I'm hungry again." Tatiana drooled.

"You always are!" Rin exclaimed.

"I wanted to have a taste too though..." Cynthia chuckled.

"Dad, use the serving spoon!" Kaley exclaimed.

I made a lot so we shared another meal with the old-timers. They complimented my cooking while I made them coffee. We were lounging on the living room because were stuffed but Oscar and Matthew each pulled out a long case while Johnny pulled out two small cases.

"I got a few presents eh? I saw you three carrying them earlier." I said, looking at the cases.

"Heh, let's just say that we have a little surprise for ya. Well, I thought I was the only one but these two prepared a little something as well. Guess what it is!" Oscar was smiling.

"I'll bet all of my guns that all of those cases have guns inside." I chuckled.

"Motherfucker. Heh, just fucking open them and you'll see what I've been hiding before." Oscar was shaking his head.

I opened all of the cases in front of me and I couldn't help smiling like an idiot.

The first one was from Oscar, it was a Remmington 870 Side Folder. It was obviously a shotgun but the difference from the normal 870s was on the name, its stock could be folded to the side. It had an 18.5-inch barrel ready for placing a Salvo 12 and it could hold 6 + 1 shells. There were a few more features like an adjustable cheek-piece, a recoil pad, a strap on the forend, sling mounting point, and etc.

"You like it, kid?" Oscar chuckled.

"Can I trade another AR-15 for this 870 Side Folder? I already have a Shockwave so-" I got cut off by Oscar.

"Hah! You fucking little shit! Can't you feel it?! You're slowly~ getting used to shotguns. A few more months and you might be carrying one primarily." Oscar laughed.

"Heh, thanks, old man. I knew that you would still be attempting to convert me." I chuckled.

"Damn right, I am. You could give that shockwave to Kaley so she'll have another backup aside from what you two are using." Oscar looked at Kaley.

"Sure, I might work on her bag so she could place it on the side for easy access." I replied.

"Oh, thanks! Won't that shotgun be too long for your bag?" Kaley chimed.

"Well, the stock for this one could be folded easily. We could just switch bags or I'll find a way how to mount this on the side of my bag like the shockwave from before. It would be 11 inches when you fold this stock on the right side so I'll find a way to nestle it in." I replied.

"Heh, it wouldn't be long before you two will be using shotguns." Oscar celebrated.

"Not really, I'll trade these two in case I find something that I really want." I said flatly and Oscar almost choked because he still had food on his mouth.

"Hah! Kid, check what I brought for you. I discovered you were using guns chambered in .22 LRs on your runs while you're still using the Walther P22 you got from my shop. So, that's a little something with more bullet capacity. Most .22 LR pistols only hold 10 + 1 rounds but that thing could hold 16 + 1. I still remembered the conversation we had before so that's what I think could help you the most. It's also ready for adding in a can." Johnny pointed at the two identical pistols on the cases.

"What's that?" Kaley asked.

"A Taurus TX-22. You wouldn't mind if I let Kaley use the other one?" I replied while smiling.

"Sure, no problem. You're both using the same pistol so I figured giving you a pair would be for the best. I started using the M&P you wanted before so I actually escaped bankruptcy by giving you that instead of the M&Ps. There are a couple of extra magazines included in the cases so plan on how you want to set it up on your war belts." Johnny smiled.

"Thank you. We'll make use of this right away." I replied then Oscar grumbled while sipping his coffee.

"Don't get mad at me, this kid likes pistols and rifles too much you're already in the disadvantage when you got him a shotgun." Johnny raised his hands helplessly.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know. I was planning to give him a P320 but I don't want him to use more pistols than he already is. What I'm doing will pay off someday, heh." Oscar poured himself another cup.

"Okay, blah blah blah. Kid, check out what I got for you!" Matthew exclaimed.